Ramón Bilbao continues in its commitment to training on Spanish wine around the world through the Spanish Wine Academy. The project created and led by the winery based in Haro (La Rioja) has seen the participation of hundreds of professionals from the wine sector, all attending the different tastings and training sessions on Spanish wine led by the Technical Director of Bodegas Ramón Bilbao, Rodolfo Bastida, in collaboration with other prestigious professionals from the world of wine. 

In Spain, the cities of Santiago de Compostela, Oviedo, Madrid and Pamplona have enjoyed events where dozens of sommeliers and industry professionals have been able to participate in numerous sessions with wine as the protagonist, embarking on an enological journey covering the various regions, varieties, climates and soils, and tasting extraordinary wines produced by some of the most renowned Spanish wineries, with particular prominence placed on the special creations of Ramón Bilbao, Mar de Frades, Cruz de Alba and Lalomba. 

Spanish Wine Academy sessions also held in Colombia and the UK

The cities of Medellin and Bogota hosted seminars on 10th and 12th October where more than 140 attendees (sommeliers, purchasing managers and industry professionals) were able to enhance their knowledge on the identities, climates, varieties, regions and soils of Spanish wine. Rodolfo Bastida, Technical Director of Bodegas Ramón Bilbao, led a session called ‘The 4 R’s of Spanish wine’, in which 8 different wines from the Rioja, Rías Baixas, Rueda and Ribera del Duero appellations were tasted. 

Furthermore, the Master of Wine Álvaro Ribalta led a figurative tour some of Spain's lesser-known regions and varieties, through a tasting of wines from regions such as Penedés, Jumilla, El Terrerazo, Valdeorras, Bierzo and Gredos, to name a few.

In London, the iconic venue Pall Mall 67 hosted the Spanish Wine Academy session focused on the Garnacha variety, where, in addition to reviewing the history and characteristics of this variety, Rodolfo Bastida was accompanied by sommelier Agustín Trapero and British expert Peter Walbridge in a tasting of wines from regions such as Rioja, Gredos, Navarra, Priorat and Cariñena. The session was completed with a training on ‘Neuromarketing Applied to the Wine Sector’ given by Janice Wang, expert in the subject and professor of Food Science at the University of Aarhus. 

Santiago de Compostela, Pamplona, Madrid and Oviedo host Spanish Wine Academy Tour

During the month of October, four key Spanish cities have hosted the Spanish Wine Academy Tour, a project focused on learning, sharing and knowing everything about the most premium wines of Ramón Bilbao. These trainings have been focused on dozens of sommeliers and experts in the world of wine. Rodolfo Bastida, technical director of Bodegas Ramón Bilbao, led the sessions and was accompanied by Shua Ibañez, sommelier at the Arzak 3-Michelin-star restaurant, and Andrés Rodriguez, sommelier at the Cenador de Amós restaurant, also 3-Michelin-star. Together they have shared knowledge and 14 wines could be tasted, folllowe by the Vertical tasting of Mirto, vintages of 1999, 2006 and 2014. The great final surprise of each of the events was a Ramón Bilbao Gran Reserva 2001 tasting, a very special wine that was shared with all attendees. Spanish Wine Academy Tour in Santiago de Compostela, Pamplona, Madrid and Oviedo

Spanish Wine Academy

Ramón Bilbao wants to give voice and vision to the fundamental cultural asset that is wine, providing the general public with more knowledge via Spanish Wine Academy, the training space on Spanish wine. Starting out from a desire to transfer the culture of Spanish wine to the whole world, the winery works with the best experts in the sector so that both the professional and general public can learn first-hand about the current situation of wine in the restaurant world and in the wine sector itself, as well as its future.